


It Doesn't Matter That Your Blaze Will Make Me Blind

by Anchestor



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Angel!Grillby - Freeform, Demon!Gaster, Gaster is kind of a creep, It's not a character anyone cares about don't worry, M/M, Minor Character Death, Minor sexual assault vibes, Non-Consensual Kissing, Obsessive Behavior, Violence, reborntale, self-destructive behaviour
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-27
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2019-04-28 15:32:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14452278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anchestor/pseuds/Anchestor
Summary: He glanced at the demon. The skeleton was still sitting at the edge of the pond. Still looking at him.“What are you staring at”, Grillby snapped.“You.”The demon hadn’t moved, as far as Grillby could tell. He just kept looking at him.“Only one word answers? Really?” His frustration with the demon was growing. “Any reason you keep staring at me? I can’t be the first angel you’ve seen.”“You’re beautiful.”





	It Doesn't Matter That Your Blaze Will Make Me Blind

**Author's Note:**

> So, for those unfamiliar with the AU, the idea of Reborntale is that when monsters die, they become either an angel or a demon based on their emotional state. They lose all their memories of their past lives, and while they keep their base personalities, they maybe skewed a little toward which faction they end up in (so angels are pushed towards kindness and trust, and demons towards destructiveness and selfishness). Unsurprisingly, the two teams don't really get along :D
> 
> ...aaaand that's pretty much all you need to keep up with this fic ^^ For more information check out @reborntale on Tumblr (18+ blog though!)
> 
>  
> 
> The two songs referenced in fic are [Red is the Rose](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5ioIu_7OFw) and [Changeling Child](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqOqEU1xwxI), both from Heather Dale.

Grillby walked quietly through the caves of Waterfall, carefully listening to any sound, looking out for any movement. There was a demon around these parts, something big and nasty that had been snatching up the weaker angels. And Grillby was going to put a stop to it.

Odd. Grillby had felt like something was watching him. He had felt that for a while now.

He abruptly stopped and whipped around. Not the slightest flinch in the rushes, not a rustle or sound of a twig snapping. Only the shadowy cave.

Grillby turned around and journeyed onward. He felt uncomfortable. He couldn’t see it, or hear it, but he could feel eyes upon his back.

And he did not need a demon ambushing him-

The attack hit him between his wings, knocking the air out of him as he fell on the cave floor.

“You’re very stupid, even for an angel”, a gravelly voice said. “A flame like you, surrounded by water? You’re making this too easy.”

Grillby quickly pushed himself up, gathering fire into his hands and throwing it at his attacker blindly. There was the sound of skittering steps as the demon dodged.

Only now did Grillby get a good look at his enemy. The demon was something scorpion-like, but large enough to halfway reach the cave ceiling.

Grillby gathered more flame in his hands, sending lances of fire at the demon. But it was too fast for Grillby to land more than a few hits.

The demon in turn tried to hit Grillby with its stinger. Grillby dodged, sidestepped- only to back too close to the demon’s claws. A flash of movement- Grillby screamed as something in his wing _snapped_.

Somehow he could see the demons black, beady eyes, just by his face. Grillby dug his fingers into them, and _burned_.

The demon howled, its claw loosing its grip on Grillby’s wing.

Grillby began running. The demon was too big, he was too weak, he needed to get out of there before he-

The tail of the demon hit him in the side with enough force to send him flying towards -water.

_No._

Grillby desperately beat his wings- _It felt like the injured one was breaking into a thousand pieces-_ but he gained enough air to glide over the water. He hit the cavern wall, and slid onto the ground. He scrambled up. Only to see that he hadn’t landed on the other side of a stream, but a small ledge in a pond.

He was trapped.

The demon laughed.

“Too easy.” It raised its stinger for one final blow-

Bones erupted from the ground, and from the ceiling, piercing the entire body of the demon.

It only made one last, strangled sound before dissipating into black ash, the little specks of darkness floating upwards and disappearing.

Soon all that was left was a forest of bone attacks, quickly vanishing having served their purpose.

 

Grillby panted, slumping down on his small island, his mind reeling to catch up to what had happened.

Something- _someone-_ had saved him.

Grillby pushed himself to a sitting position, wincing as he moved his injured wing.

He looked around. There was nothing, just the water that trapped him, a field of rushes, and the empty cave.

“Hello? Who’s there?” Grillby called out. There was no answer.

He looked around. _There_. Where the rushes melded into the shadows, two white dots of light.

Grillby smiled at the dots. He didn’t know any angels with bone attacks, but he was eager to meet the one who had helped him.

“It’s alright, you don’t have to hide. Please, come out!”

The plants rustled as the other emerged, slowly.

It was a skeleton dressed in a long black coat. He had two large cracks on his skull, and he was looking at Grillby with an unreadable expression.

But much more notable were the large, leathery wings on his back, the tail trailing behind him, and the horns pointing out of his skull.

 _Another demon!?_ Grillby thought, relief giving way to panic. He had no way to flee, no room to dodge when the skeleton would attack him-!

But he didn’t.

The two of them stared at each other, Grillby with baited breath, waiting for the demon to do something, anything.

But the skeleton didn’t even say a word, choosing to simply stand there. Still just looking at Grillby with that unreadable expression.

Grillby relaxed a bit. He wasn’t in any immediate danger, at least. Probably. Grillby looked at the pond trapping him, trying to estimate how far the water stretched. Much too far for him to jump. He could easily fly over it, if only his wing wasn’t broken. He glanced at the demon. It was a long shot, but the skeleton had saved him from the other demon, hadn’t he?

“Could you help me? I need to get off this island”, Grillby asked.

“No.”

The demon sat on the stone floor, just at the edge of the water. His movements slow and deliberate, even elegant.

“Why not? Please, just-“

“No.”

Grillby frowned in annoyance. “Is that all you can say?”

The demon smirked. “No.”

Alright, the only one there to help him was being extremely uncooperative. Fine. He could figure out a way off the island by himself.

Grillby sat in a more comfortable position, making sure to stay away from the edge of the water, taking care to keep an eye on the demon. He hadn’t lost a lot of HP in the battle, but the wing would be a problem. He brought his injured wing as forward as he could, and twisted his head to see it better. Something was broken, he knew that much, but the pain was already becoming something dull and manageable. It probably wouldn’t need resetting or anything. Grillby was thankful that angels healed so quickly. Not quickly enough to fly off the ledge any time soon, but he shouldn’t be out of commission for long.

Grillby began to groom his feathers with his fingers. His wings had gotten ruffled during the fight, and having his feathers in disarray was so annoying.

Even once he had gotten his wings back in order, he kept brushing his feathers with his hands. The grooming, while unnecessary, felt nice, and he needed something to calm himself with. He had just been in a rough battle, and now he was stuck, with this strange demon on the other side of the water.

He glanced at the demon. The skeleton was still sitting at the edge of the pond. Still looking at him.

“What are you staring at”, Grillby snapped.

“You.”

The demon hadn’t moved, as far as Grillby could tell. He just kept looking at him.

“Only one word answers? Really?” His frustration with the demon was growing. “Any reason you keep staring at me? I can’t be the first angel you’ve seen.”

“You’re beautiful.”

Grillby stopped.

“What?” Had that demon just…

“You’re beautiful.” The demon repeated. “And beautiful things are enjoyable to look at.”

He said it like it was all the reason anyone would need. Like it was an exhaustive explanation.

Grillby didn’t know how to react. What the demon said, and how he said it… It was more a statement than a compliment.

And there the demon sat, just… looking at him.

Grillby _really_ wanted to get off this island.

“Hey, listen. I, I really need to get back home. I’m sure there are some bridge seeds nearby, you could use those. So if you could just help me…” Grillby pleaded.

“Why would I?” The skeleton tilted his head.

“You angels have this foolish philosophy of helping others, just for the sake of the action itself. Just to be kind. I assure you, I have no intention of wasting effort just so you can fly away.”

Grillby frowned. He knew that arguing with a demon about kindness was probably pointless, they were creatures of evil and selfishness by nature. But…

“It’s not wasting effort to help someone. Someday they might return the favour.”

 “Someday? How trusting of you.” The demon leaned forward, absentmindedly dipping his phalanges into the pond, causing ripples in the still water between the two of them.

“Now, how to explain this… Imagine there is a machine, a machine with coin slots, for two players. If one player puts in their coin, the other gets three, and vice versa. Or, either player can cheat. Refuse to co-operate, and keep their coin. Now imagine the two of us play this game. You, the sweet little angel you are, would always put your coin in. If you’re lucky, you’ll end up playing against another angel, and you both walk away with the two coins you earned. Or you get cheated, and just lose your coin. I, on the other hand? I’d never cooperate. I either win more, or never lose.”

The demon shrugged.

“Sure, altruism is a nice idea, in theory, but in praxis it’s self-destructive. In the real world turning the other cheek just gets you slapped. You, out of the goodness of your heart, will try to carry the entire Underground on your shoulders. Until you are crushed under the weight.”

Grillby thought about what the demon had said.

“But, if we’d all always cheat on this machine… Sure, no one would lose, but nothing would ever be gained either. That’s bad too, right?” he said. “And besides, you helped me just now! You saved me by killing that other demon, didn’t you?”

“That was not done for your sake, I can assure you.”

“Why then?” Grillby urged.

The skeleton looked at him, that unreadable expression back on his face.

“I dislike seeing beautiful things destroyed.”

Grillby really didn’t know how to react to that. Sure, the demons were prone to infighting, that was just the way they were. But to think that the skeleton had killed one of his own, just because he thought that Grillby was pretty?

The demon wiped his eye sockets with his sleeve.

“We’re running out of time.”

Grillby looked at the demon in confusion. What did he mean?

“Do you still wish for me to help you?”

Grillby felt excitement rising in him. “Yes, of course-!”

“There will be a price to pay.”

Grillby’s smile dropped.

“A price?”

The skeleton wiped at his eyes again.

“I’m not going to help you if there is nothing in it for me.”

Grillby couldn’t help but feel wary. A deal with a demon?

“What do you want in exchange for helping me?” He asked cautiously.

“A feather from your wings. A big, soft one.” The skeleton paused. “And I want to know your name.”

Grillby blinked. That was it? Just his name and a feather?

…There had to be a catch in here.

“If I tell you my name, will you tell me yours?” Grillby asked.

“I don’t think you are in a position to bargain, angel.”

Grillby thought about it. This was suspicious.

But he didn’t have much of a choice, did he?

“Alright, I accept. Now could you get me out of here?”

The skeleton stood up.

“Tell me your name first.”

“I… I’m Grillby.”

“Grillby…” the demon repeated, as if tasting the name.

Then he turned and disappeared into the rushes.

For a moment, Grillby thought the demon had just abandoned him. But then he saw the other returning, his arms full of bridge seed buds.

“Go ahead and pluck out a feather already. Make sure it’s a nice one.” The skeleton tossed the first bud into the water.

Grillby reached for his uninjured wing, and selected a feather. He yanked it off, wincing at the pinch of pain. He held the feather by the quill as the bridge seeds blossomed into a pathway.

The demon watched Grillby quickly cross the makeshift bridge. He held his hand out immediately once Grillby was on the other side.

“The feather.”

Grillby handed it over. The demon took the feather, then he wiped his eyes again. Now that Grillby wasn’t as far, he could see that the skeletons eye sockets were watering.

The demon looked at the pale golden feather, running his fingers along the soft edge, a small smile on his face.

He pocketed the feather, and began to walk away. But after a few steps he stopped.

He turned to look at Grillby over his shoulder.

“My name is Gaster.”

And the demon disappeared into the shadows, leaving Grillby utterly confused on how he should feel about what had just happened.

 

 

 

Grillby was practically skipping on his way home. It had been a good day: he’d helped out other angels, even managed to give a few mortals the shove to put aside their differences and find the goodwill towards each other, and there hadn’t been a demon in sight. Even having to drop by Waterfall didn’t put a damper on his mood.

Grillby found himself quietly humming a tune as he waded through the rushes. He stepped through the field- into a clearing. It was a dead end, luminescent water flowing by the wall opposite Grillby. Had he taken a wrong turn in the rushes? It was alright, he’d just have to follow the wall to find the right path.

Grillby began humming again, ready to leave, when suddenly the cave hummed back. He turned. There was no one to be seen.

“Hmm-hmm-hm-hm-hmm”, Grillby hummed.

“Hmm-hmm-hm-hm-hmm”, came the echo.

Grillby grinned. He hadn’t thought that the cave would have this kind of acoustics. The canon of his own voice and the echo sounded so pretty!

…He had some time to waste; it wasn’t like he was in a hurry to get anywhere.

Grillby sat on the stone floor, his legs crossed, and began to sing.

“ _Come over the hills, my bonny Irish lad_  
_Come over the hills to your darling_  
 _You choose the rose, love — I’ll make the vow_  
 _And I’ll be your true love forever_ ”

Grillby grinned to himself. He was rather enjoying the little concert he was having to himself.

“ _Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows_  
_Fair is the lily of the valley_  
_Clear is the water that flows from the Boyne_  
_But my love is fairer than any_ ”

He continued to sing, and the echo sang back.

“ _‘Twas down by Killarney’s green woods that we strayed-_ ”

Something rustled.

Startled, Grillby scrambled to his feet. He listened.

“…no need to stop on my account, angel.”

Grillby _knew that voice._

“Actually, I’d be in favour if you would continue singing. Your voice is as beautiful as you are. Not that I’m surprised.”

Grillby shifted his weight from one leg to another as the rushes kept rustling. What should he do? Greet the demon? Leave?

“Right now, any kind of sound would be much appreciated, these damn weeds are _fucking impossible to navigate-!_ ”

The skeleton stumbled out of the thicket a handful of steps away from Grillby. He was just like Grillby remembered, slender figure, big wings, long coat- with the exception of the black blindfold he was wearing.

“What happened to your eyes!?” Grillby gasped. Had one of the other demons attacked him? …Had one of the other _angels_ attacked him?

The other immediately turned his skull towards Grillby.

“There you are.”

 

The skeleton summoned a bone in his hand, a long, thin one. For a moment Grillby thought he was going to attack, but then the skeleton began to drag the bone across the ground in front of him in long, sweeping motions. The sound of bone scraping against stone echoed in the cave as he carefully walked towards Grillby, feeling the ground on his path until the bone staff hit Grillby’s ankle.

The skeleton led the bone up Grillby’s shin, as if to check that is was indeed a leg and not just a rock. Grillby saw the other slowly smile as he dismissed the attack.

“There you are”, the other repeated. “How is your wing? Has it healed yet?”

“…It’s fine, it wasn’t as badly damaged as I first thought. It healed pretty quickly”, Grillby answered.

“Good to hear.”

Why was the demon being so casual? Like they were acquaintances bumping into each other, not soldiers of two warring factions.

“What happened to your eyes?” Grillby asked again.

“If I tell you, will you sing the rest of the song for me?”

Grillby weighed his answer. He was immensely curious, and if the skeleton wanted to hear him sing, why shouldn’t he?

“Alright”, Grillby said with a nod.

The demon grinned. He sat on the ground, and after a brief moment of indecision Grillby did too.

 _“‘Twas down by Killarney’s green woods that we strayed_  
_When the moon and the stars they were shining_  
_The moon shone its rays on his locks of golden hair_  
_And he swore he’d be my love forever”_

Grillby sang the song until the end, feeling a bit self-conscious about his voice now that he had an audience.

“Now, it’s your turn”, Grillby said. “What happened to you eyes?”

The demon gave a quiet chuckle.

“You don’t even know how bright you burn, do you?”

Grillby’s flame flickered as he sparked in surprise. Had… had he caused this?

The skeleton continued: “All of you angels have this glow to you, but you, Grillby… you shine like the sun. Your halo, your fire… Your blaze is bright enough to burn my eyes out.”

Grillby was frozen in shock.

“And you just sat there looking at me, even while it hurt?”

The skeleton nodded.

“You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. If looking at you makes me blind, it’s worth it.”

He paused. The stream burbled quietly.

“I’ve been eyeing you for a while now, angel. I never thought I’d get to see you up close like this, let alone talk to you.” He smiled. “Or hear you sing.”

“’Eyeing’… Have you been _stalking_ me?” Grillby said with dismay. Just how long had this been going on!?

“Not recently. It’s hard to follow someone when you can’t see anything.” The skeleton answered with a shrug.

Something, maybe it was the tone of the other’s voice, maybe it was how dismissive the other was being about his blindness. But something stung Grillby’s soul. He knew he should be angry, or appalled, or something, but…

“I’m sorry.” Grillby felt bad, he really did. “I had no idea I was hurting you-”

The skeleton laughed.

“This isn’t your fault, you silly thing. I chose this. Besides, I’ll heal.” He tapped the fabric around his skull. “I just need to rest my eyes properly.”

“You know”, he continued, “While I can’t see you, I’d like to hear you. Do you know any other songs?”

Grillby scoffed.

“I already sang, it’s your turn now.”

The skeleton chuckled, then shrugged. “Oh, what the hell.”

Grillby turned to look as the other began to sing a melancholy tune.

 _“The wind blows low and mournful_  
_Through the Strath of Dalnacreich_  
_Where once there lived a woman_  
_Who would a mother be_  
_For twelve long years a good man's wife_  
_But ne'er the cradle filled_  
_A mother of a changeling child from 'neath the fairy hill”_

Grillby sat there, listening. He sat there a good, long while, the angel and the demon taking turns to sing and listen, and talking about the songs.

 

 

 

Grillby ran through the caves as fast as he could, beating his wings to flee even faster. _Why_ and _how_ did he always end up in Waterfall!?

~~(Oh, he knew exactly why.)~~

The complex cave system was rife with hidden nooks and crannies for demons to hide in, and the floor was often so low you could touch it, making his wings useless!

He could hear the demon scraping the floor as it gave chase, hissing behind him. It wasn’t even that big, but it was fast, and _of course_ it just happened to have water magic. Grillby heard the tell-tale gurgle, and barely managed to dodge the spout of water that the creature spat at him. He didn’t like running away from a battle, but he wasn’t going to perish in a fight he could not win.

A field of rushes, why was there always a field of rushes!? He didn’t need this slowing him down even more!

A few beats of his wings, and Grillby took flight, gliding over the plants. He could hear the demon gurgle, getting ready to spit a stream of water again. _Oh no._ The tunnel was too tight; there was no way he could dodge-!

A soft _ting!_ was all the warning Grillby got before something tore him down from the air. The thicket did little to cushion his fall.

Something cool and hard was suddenly on his mouth.

“I can get you out of here, but you’ll owe me one.”

At this point, Grillby honestly wasn’t even surprised to hear the skeleton whispering in his ear. He nodded. The bony hand on his mouth was gone as quickly as it had appeared, gripping his wrist instead.

The skeleton pulled him up, and then the two of them were running, Grillby dragged behind the skeleton. All he could see was the rushes around them, and the skeletons black leathery wings.

Suddenly he was yanked to the side.

“Down here”, the skeleton whispered, pushing a side the plants to reveal the mouth of a small tunnel. “Get in, quickly!”

Grillby had to drop on all fours and pin his wings as close to his body as he could to crawl inside the tunnel. He kept going as fast as he could, hearing the other not too far behind him.

 

The tunnel began to gradually widen, eventually opening into a small dead end cave. The ceiling was low, Grillby would have hit his head if he had tried to stand up, but the cave looked big enough to comfortably house a handful of people if they all would sit.

Grillby slumped against the stone wall, trying to catch his breath.

The skeleton emerged from the tunnel, and soon he was sitting down cross-legged.

“You seem to have a knack for finding demons you are no match for.” He quipped.

“Not now, bonehead”, Grillby sighed. He was exhausted from the fighting and the running and the fearing for his life, couldn’t the demon even wait until his Soul stopped beating a mile a minute?

“Are we safe in here?”

“I’m pretty sure no one else knows about this place”, the skeleton answered. “The rushes hide the entrance quite efficiently, and the big boys wouldn’t even fit in the tunnel.”

The skeleton turned to look at Grillby.

“You’re not hurt, are you?”

Grillby shook his head. A few stray sprays had hit him, but nothing bad enough to do more than sting.

“What do you think, how long do we have to wait here?” He asked.

The skeleton turned to glance at the dark tunnel from which they had crawled in.

“It would be better to give it a while before leaving. You wouldn’t want to bump into anyone searching for you.”

Grillby sighed. There was no rush, then. He might as well get his feathers back in order.

He began to groom his wings starting from the top, brushing down with his fingers. He worked slowly through the layers of his wings.

“Is that your stress gesture?”

Grillby lifted his eyes from his wings to glance at the other. He was sitting there, his hands resting on his lap, eye sockets fixed on Grillby.

“You were grooming yourself when you were stuck on that island too.”

“I just don’t like having my feathers all ruffled”, Grillby answered. Something popped into his mind.

“How come you’re staring at me again? What happened to me burning your eyes out?”

The skeleton shrugged.

“It won’t start to hurt in a while. I might as well indulge myself while I can.”

Grillby tilted his head.

“Are you going to have to wear the blindfold again?”

The skeleton nodded.

“Isn’t that dangerous? What if someone attacks you?”

“I’m pretty good at hiding. But if someone does manage to ambush me, well. Then there will be one less demon for you angels to worry about.”

Grillby frowned.

“Don’t say things like that…” he muttered.

“I think it’s all the more reason to indulge while I can.” The skeleton had an intent look in his eye sockets. It reminded Grillby of the speech the other had made about the coin machine. “All of this could end any second. One slip up, one wrong choice, and that’s it. None of this matters. All I have is this moment, so I choose to fill it with as much hedonism as I can. You angels always think that demons are selfish. Destructive. Egotistical. And it’s true, we are. But it’s an attempt to reach even that glimmer of light, that second of happiness in this miserable, meaningless world.”

The skeleton paused. The cave felt so quiet for a moment.

“And if my sight is what I have to sacrifice to get that? Then I will.”

“…I’d rather you didn’t”, Grillby said, averting his eyes. The skeleton was much too ready to hurt himself…

“Nothing you can do to stop me.”

Grillby didn’t know what to say to that. He returned to his feathers. They were mostly brushed now, only the scapulars remaining. He tried to twist his body, those were very hard to reach.

 

 “Can I touch your wings?”

Grillby looked up in surprise.

“They look so soft, and yet so strong. It’s a fascinating dichotomy.” A shadow of uncertainty flashed on the skeleton’s face.

“Please?”

Grillby weighed his options. He could easily refuse, but then again, he did kind of owe the skeleton one. And letting him touch his wings was a pretty small favour after all. Besides, it wasn’t like the skeleton was some random demon, they knew each other.

Grillby manoeuvred himself so that his back was toward the skeleton and spread his wings loosely.

“Just don’t get any ideas of yanking out feathers, okay?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Grillby could hear the other’s smirk in his voice.

Grillby felt the skeleton’s touch on his feathers. The other was running his fingers lightly on the top of his right wing, starting somewhere near Grillby’s back, then stroking all the way to the tip in one slow, fluid motion. The skeleton repeated the stroke, once, twice.

Then the skeleton placed his palm on the bend of the wing, running his entire hand down along the feather coating. The strokes continued, bony hands petting Grillby’s wings, alternating between the left one and the right one, mapping their entire surface.

Every time, the touches were soft.

Gentle.

Grillby found himself slowly closing his eyes. Relaxing his shoulders, and breathing slower.

This… this felt nice. Very nice.

Grillby gave a small gasp as the skeleton dug his fingers into the feathers, ruffling them up. The intrusion in his coating was gone as quickly as it had come, and all Grillby could feel were strokes brushing the ruffled bit. The skeleton kept doing this, ruffling the feathers only to brush them again and again.

Grillby had had other people grooming his wings before. But those were tasks focused on efficiency, not slowly savouring every touch. This was different. It felt almost intimate, in a way. Like a soft caress on his cheek.

The skeleton had advanced to his scapulars, one hand at each wing, brushing the feathers Grillby had not been able to reach himself. Grillby was absolutely lost in the sensation of the gentle touches. He nearly didn’t notice that the skeletal hands were now trailing along his back and his shoulders, not his wings. Realizing that the cool fingers running along his neck were slowly wrapping around his throat was like being snapped out of a trance.

A wave of anger hit Grillby, anger at himself for being too trusting and letting his guard down like this.

 _“That’s not the wing anymore.”_ Grillby fanned his flame hot, hot enough to burn. With a hiss of pain the hand disappeared from his neck.

Grillby turned and backed to the other side of the small cave, his eyes fixed on the other. What had he been thinking, letting the demon touch his wings!? He could have snapped them in half! Torn off feathers! And Grillby had just turned his back to the creature and closed his eyes!?

The demon had pressed himself against the opposite wall, cradling his hand against his chest.

“You _burned_ me! You-! You…” The hurt and anger on the demon’s face melted into disbelief. Then. A wide, almost manic grin.

Then he _laughed_.

“Not completely helpless, are you, Grillby! Why the hell have I even been helping you, you should pull _that_ little stunt next time a demon attacks you! Just keep your flame hot enough, you’ll be untouchable!” The demon was cackling until he started wheezing, breathless.

“Would you stop that!” Grillby didn’t want to admit that the skeleton’s behaviour was scaring him a little.

“Sorry, sorry”, the skeleton said, his grin still a little too wide.

“Your wings are as great to touch as they are gorgeous. I’m envious, I really am. I can’t even fly with these”, he continued, flapping his leathery wings.

Grillby glared at the demon.

“What the hell were you trying to pull there? Did you really think I’d just let you choke me?”

“Choke you? I wasn’t…” the skeleton raised a brow bone. Then realization dawned on his face. “Oh, because my hands were on your- I see. Well, no, that wasn’t what I was trying to do. My hands just… well. Wandered.”

The demon smirked.

“Your skin is nearly as pleasant to the touch as your wings are. Warm wisps of flame licking my fingers… I’m eager to know what the top of your head is like.”

Grillby raised his hand between them and summoned a lance of fire on his palm.

_“You stay away from me.”_

The skeleton’s smile fell.

“Harsh.”

He slumped against the cave wall, hugging his legs to his chest.

Grillby dismissed the lance, he was pretty sure the warning had gotten across.

 

They sat in silence for a while.

Grillby looked at the demon. He was thumbing the fabric of his coat, staring into nothingness. Grillby wondered why the demon wasn’t ogling him, wasn’t that his whole reason for helping Grillby in the first place?

Now that he was looking more closely, the skeleton looked a little hurt. Had Grillby summoning an attack on him upset him?

Why did Grillby even care if it had?

The demon’s eye sockets were watering again. He wiped his face in his sleeve.

Was… was his breathing a little heavier? A little uneven? And his eye sockets kept watering…

Grillby sighed, and shook his silly thoughts away. It couldn’t be. It wasn’t.

 The demon was weird. And here he was, trapped with the other once again. Of course, this time he could leave on his own. Then again…

Why was the skeleton still here? Even if the creature that had been chasing Grillby was still out there, looking for him, it’d have no reason to attack the skeleton. The other could leave anytime he wanted.

And he could have easily left Grillby on that island. A name and a feather, those were a meaningless price for help.

A name…

Grillby realized something.

“Why did you tell me your name?”

The skeleton– _Gaster_ –looked up.

“What?”

“When I was stuck on that island, you asked me for my name, I asked for yours, and you refused. But you told me anyway when you left. Why?”

“What does it matter to you?” Gaster looked away.

Grillby pursed his lips together.

“Because you have some selfish excuse for everything you’ve done so far. I’m just an object for you to admire, right? That’s what you’ve kept saying at least! You saved me so that you could look at me. Singing for me so that you could listen to me sing for you. You brushed my feathers because you wanted to touch them. But telling me your name had no benefit for you, nothing at all. There was no reason, no bargain, but you told me anyway. And I want to know why.”

Gaster hung his head a little lower.

The small cave was filled with a thick silence.

“…I liked the idea of you thinking about me sometimes”, he finally said, his voice little more than a whisper.

“I think about you a lot, even before I knew your name I thought about you a lot. The angel made of fire, shining like the sun… And I thought that it’d be fun to sometimes imagine you reminiscing about me. You saying my name to yourself, remembering that odd little demon who told you that you were beautiful.”

The skeleton wrapped his arms around himself. He gave a hollow chuckle, his eyes were watering.

“You looked so confused when I did. Like you couldn’t even imagine it. But you are beautiful, you truly are…”

Grillby didn’t know how to answer. He didn’t even know how to feel. The way the demon spoke about him, his voice almost reverent…

Almost obsessive.

Grillby looked at the demon, sitting there, hugging himself tight. Looking so endlessly fragile all of a sudden.

Something deep inside him wondered if Gaster was lonely.

 

 

 

“ _NGAAAAAHHHHHH!_ ” rang Undyne’s familiar war cry, echoing through the cave.

Grillby turned toward the sound. With how often angels were ambushed in Waterfall (no, not because of how often _Grillby_ was ambushed in Waterfall, everyone had assured him), it had been decided that it’d be best to have a buddy system when scouting the winding tunnel system.

To cover the largest amount of area, Grillby and Undyne had split up (no, not because Grillby wanted to see it he’d come across anyone specific whom the other angel might not approve of) when searching for demons.

Judging by the noise coming from the other cave, Undyne had found one.

Grillby rushed through the tunnels, skidding to a halt as a stray spear flew by his face. He stopped to take in the scene.

There was Undyne, a bloodthirsty grin on her face, a spear in hand, eyes fixed on her opponent.

And on the other side of the battlefield, there was-

Grillby backed out of the cave, hiding just behind the wall.

 _Gaster_.

What the hell was he supposed to do now!? He was supposed to help Undyne, but he couldn’t just attack _Gaster_ , he-! He…

Grillby peaked from behind the corner.

Undyne sent volley after volley of spears towards Gaster, and the skeleton gracefully danced away from their path.

“I know this is fun and all, but could you try a little bit harder?” Gaster taunted as he dodged. “Honestly, this is getting a little boring.”

Bones erupted from the ground beneath Undyne’s feet, forcing her to hop out of their way.

“I’m doing you a favour!” Undyne snarled, chucking a large energy spear right at Gaster, who summoned a bone attack and batted it away. _“By ending your miserable existence!”_

“While I appreciate the sentiment, you really don’t have to do that for me.”

Neither seemed to have managed to hit the other hard. Maybe Grillby wouldn’t have to join the battle at all? He could just pretend he’d been too far away to hear anything.

Undyne dropped on the floor as her Soul turned blue with a soft _ting!_ and Gaster hurled a row of bones at her. She crushed each of them with her spear before they hit.

“NGAHHH! Enough warming up!”

Undyne swiped with her spear, and Gaster’s Soul turned green.

“Dodge _this!_ ” A swarm of small, fast spears flew towards Gaster, who blocked them with his bone attack.

“Your wings are quite pretty, angel. That’s a nice shade of red. Of course, they’re not nearly as beautiful as the wings of the last angel I played with, but credit where credit is due.” Gaster’s tone was almost conversational.

“Stop monologuing!” Undyne shouted.

“I thought you’d be interested in the fate of one of your little friends! He wasn’t nearly as much of a fighter as you are, but still, he was immensely enjoyable. Oh, you should have heard the way he screamed, how he begged for me to stop!”

Undyne sent more spears, flying even faster, but Grillby could see that her aim was faltering. Was this Gaster’s strategy? Make Undyne too enraged to fight carefully?

“I even kept a feather as a memento. I tried to tear off the entire wing, but he perished at that point. Oh, what a wonderful time we had! It truly is a shame he didn’t last longer.” All of a sudden Gaster had a feather in his hand, running his fingers along the soft edge.

Even from his hiding place, Grillby recognized the pale golden colour, the same colour that covered his own wings.

“You sick bastard-!” Undyne’s growl was interrupted by a shout as she was slammed against the floor with a forest of blue bones there to meet her fall. The attacks hit true, Grillby gasped as he saw how much HP Undyne had lost.

Gaster summoned a large dragon-like skull, white light gathering in its jaws, and pointed it at Undyne.

Grillby didn’t think. He ran into the cave with a shout, stopping between the two.

Gaster and him locked eyes.

For a beat time stood still.

Gaster aimed the blaster at the cave ceiling, and fired.

Rocks fell down with a rumble, dust flying up everywhere. Grillby coughed.

When the cloud settled, and Grillby could see again, Gaster had disappeared.

“ _Cough_ _cough_ Get back here and _cough_ fight me you _cough_ coward!” Undyne screamed, or would have screamed if it weren’t for the dust filling her lungs. She was struggling back to her feet.

“Let it go, Undyne, he’s already gone”, Grillby said, trying to calm her as he helped her up.

 

It took a lot of convincing to get Undyne to return to the other angels. On the other hand, Gaster was not hard to find.

The skeleton was sitting by a small stream. It was a sheltered spot, framed by a field of rushes. Grillby had the feeling that Gaster hadn’t hidden properly on purpose.

“Are you hurt?” Grillby asked, sitting next to Gaster.

“She managed to nick me a couple of times, but I’m fine. She got sloppy once I made her angry enough.” His tone was dismissive. “Honestly, you did more damage that time you burned my hand.”

Grillby felt a small pang of guilt.

“Sorry about that.”

“Don’t be. I deserved it”, Gaster said with a shrug.

“Was… was there any particular reason why Undyne attacked you?” Grillby asked.

“She was opposed to my continuous existence. We disagreed on the matter”, Gaster answered with a humourless grin.

“I suppose that is the natural order of things. Angels kill demons, demons kill angels. And the cycle goes on and on”, he continued.

Grillby thought about what Gaster said. An idea blossomed in his head.

“You know… It doesn’t necessarily have to be that way. Not for you at least”, he began.

Gaster gave Grillby a look, tilting his head.

“What do you mean?”

“I could introduce you to the other angels! We could go together, and I’d tell them that you’re harmless-”

“Harmless?”

“Yeah! If they all get to know you, and know you’re one of the good guys, they won’t attack you!” Grillby was really starting to like this idea!

“You… you want me to…” Gaster’s voice was completely toneless.

“Maybe you could stay with us! You’d be safe from the other demons too! You won’t have to hide, I can protect you-”

_“How dare you.”_

Grillby was startled from his planning. Gaster’s voice was dripping with detestation.

“How dare you. Do you really think I’d ever want anything to do with angels! That you’ll flash me a smile and I’ll just roll over and become, what, your _featherpet_!?” He spat the word out like it was something vile.

“’One of the good guys’? I’m a _demon_ , you halfwit!”

“But you’re- you’re not like the other demons! You’re different!” Grillby beseeched. “The things you said to make Undyne angry? You’d never do something like that!”

“Wouldn’t I? I would have killed your friend back there if you hadn’t intervened”, Gaster snarled.

“But you didn’t!” Grillby smiled encouragingly.

“You might have your bad moments, sure, but I’ll help you!”

“Is that what you think of me? That I’m some _broken_ thing for you to _fix_?” Gaster’s voice was filled with cold rage. “That you’ll save the _poor pitiful demon_ from himself and can congratulate yourself on what a good heart you have?”

“Gaster, it’s not like that!” Grillby defended. “I know you!”

“Do you now.” Gaster’s tone went quiet. Threatening. “I think you’re forgetting what you’re truly _dealing with_.”

 

A _ting!_ , a flash of black filling his vision, and a yelp as Grillby hit the floor with enough force to knock the air out of him. Before he could process what was even happening, Gaster was on him, straddling his hips, pinning Grillby’s hands above his head, his hold on Grillby’s wrists like iron.

“You don’t even know how badly I want to _hurt you_.”

“Gaster, what the-!” Grillby demanded, beating his wings against the ground, fighting against Gaster’s grip.

“ _Quiet_.” With that single word Grillby froze. The demon’s eye lights had disappeared, leaving dark sockets behind. It didn’t feel like he even saw Grillby anymore.

“You can’t even begin to _imagine_ what I’d do to you if I could have it my way.” His voice was low, almost sultry. Almost deranged. “Do you want to find out?”

“I’d ensnare you in a trap, angel. Then I’d take you somewhere far, far away, somewhere deeply hidden, where no-one would ever find you. I’d lock you up in a cage, chain you to the wall so you could never fly away from me. You’d be only mine to look at. Only mine to touch. I’d never let anyone else hurt you.”

Gaster brought a hand to Grillby’s face, gently caressing his cheek with his fingertips.

“I want to feel you squirming against me, Grillby. I want to feel you _writhing_ in my hands. I want to feel your flames against my body, to _revel_ in your heat.”

Gaster leaned to where Grillby’s ear would be as he whispered.

“I want to draw out every single sound you can make. Every scream, every whimper, every _moan_. I want it all etched in my memory. I want to bathe in your scent so that everyone will know that it was _me_ who stole away the angel made of fire. That everyone will know that you’re _mine_.”

Gaster looked Grillby deep in the eyes. His face was only a breath away from Grillby’s.

“ _Mine_ ”, he snarled.

And Grillby’s mouth was captured in a searing kiss. Gaster was clashing against Grillby with unbridled fervour, hard enough to bruise.

Grillby tried to say something, but the moment his lips parted something was shoved into his mouth. It took a moment for Grillby to realize that the intrusion was Gaster’s tongue. _The skeleton had a tongue!?_ Gaster moaned into the kiss. Their bodies pressed tight against each other, Grillby quietly whimpered as Gaster ravished his mouth.

_This… This actually felt kind of-_

And then the kiss ended. Grillby opened his eyes, locking them with Gaster’s eye lights just above him. Their hot breaths mingled as they panted, both gasping for air.

Gaster was off of him as abruptly as he had pinned Grillby down in the first place. The skeleton was scrambling away. Like he’d been bitten.

“You need to leave. This place isn’t safe for you.” Gaster’s voice was little more than a desperate plea.

And before Grillby could even sit up again, the demon had already fled.

 

 

 

Grillby walked quietly through the caves of Waterfall, carefully listening to any sound. He could sense the dark presence of a Soul, somewhere over the water, behind the rushes. Definitely a demon. He followed the pull.

Grillby launched in the air, gliding over the rushes. The plants ended abruptly, revealing stone floor where Grillby had expected the river to continue. Instead he found himself in a dimly lit cave, and there, sitting on the ground, was-

“You weren’t kidding when you said that you were good at hiding.”

Gaster didn’t even look up. He was sitting cross-legged, leaning against the wall. He had the feather in his hand, holding it by the quill with one hand, slowly caressing the vane with the other.

“If you’re here to tell me that you hate me and never want to see me again, don’t waste your breath.” Gaster turned his head away from Grillby. “I already know.”

“I’ve been looking for you. Must have been at least a week by now.”

“You have?” Gaster finally looked at Grillby, putting the feather away. “I didn’t take you for the vindictive type.”

Grillby shook his head. He sat down next to Gaster.

“There’s nothing I want to take revenge for”, he said.

Gaster froze.

“Grillby”, he began. “You seem to have missed this, but last time we met, I _fucking_ _assaulted_ _you_.”

“I don’t really mind what happened.”

“What.” Gaster was openly staring at Grillby now, eye sockets wide with disbelief.

“Sure, it’s not what I had in mind, or how I would have done it”, Grillby said. “But if I could turn back time, and undo what happened? I wouldn’t.”

“I fucking _forced my tongue in your mouth_ , and you are just _fine_ with it?”

“If I really wanted you off of me, I would have burned you.”

Gaster continued to stare. Then his expression became a sorrowful grimace, his breathing hitching as tears spilled over.

He pulled his legs to his chest, hugging them tight, and buried his face in his knees.

“Why can’t you just hate me?” he asked with a shaky voice. “We’re an angel and a demon, we’re supposed to- you’re supposed to-”

“ _Why can’t you just hate me!_ ” he cried out.

Grillby reached over, wrapping his arms around the sobbing skeleton, gently shushing him until he had calmed down a little.

“I like you, Gaster. I like talking with you”, Grillby said gently. “I don’t agree with a lot of what you have to say, but I like talking with you. I like spending time with you, and I’d like to spend more time with you later.”

Grillby pulled away. Gaster looked up from the ball he had curled into.

“You do?” Gaster’s voice was shaky, but there lied a hint of hope underneath.

“I have one condition though”, Grillby said.

“You have to wear the blindfold.”

Gaster looked at Grillby as the words sank in. Then he reached into his coat, and pulled the stretch of dark fabric out.

“Let me”, Grillby interrupted as Gaster began to put the blindfold on. Gaster nodded, and handed it over.

Grillby knelt in front of the other, carefully placed the fabric over Gaster’s eyes, and tied it behind his skull. Tight enough to stay on. Loose enough to be comfortable. Gaster could easily tear the blindfold off if he needed to.

“There”, Grillby said, leaning back to admire his handiwork. “Now I won’t burn your eyes, and I’ll have a head start if you get the urge to jump on me again.”

“I’m going to miss seeing you”, Gaster said quietly.

Grillby took Gaster’s hand and placed it on his cheek. Gaster reached his other hand forward, running his fingertips along Grillby’s face, feeling it’s contours.

“Remember what you said about selfishness?” Grillby asked. “How everyone should just do what they want, damn the consequences?”

Gaster nodded.

Grillby leaned toward Gaster, cupping his face with both hands.

“I think I want to try that.”

Grillby closed the distance between them, kissing Gaster. The demon froze, at first. Then he began to answer the kiss, pushing back endlessly softly. As if he was afraid that Grillby would disappear if he was too eager.

Grillby finally pulled away, drinking in Gaster’s dazed expression.

“Why?” Gaster rasped. Grillby rubbed his thumbs over Gaster’s cheekbones in a gentle caress.

“You’re beautiful.”

Grillby closed his eyes, and leaned in for another kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> What got the ball rolling in the head brain was reading reborn tale fics when [this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_0j9WLMeFE) popped into my mind. The title is in fact a loosely translated lyric!
> 
> This was my first time writing Gaster this, shall we say, morally compromised, so feedback would be much appreciated! ^^


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